EXCLUSIVE: Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro’s claims that she was unaware of criminal animal abuse charges against Territory Coordinator Stuart Knowles before she appointed him have been seemingly contradicted by a May 2023 email sent to her from a whistleblower, detailing the animal abuse investigation cover-up and other alleged misconduct concerning current Mining and Energy CEO Alister Trier, who ordered the charges against Mr Knowles be dropped.
UPDATED: Treasurer Bill Yan has handed down the Finocchiaro CLP Government’s first budget this morning that will see more big spending and increased debt, with next year’s deficit alone estimated to be $1.31 billion and the Territory’s net debt projected to blow out from its current $10.5 billion figure to $14 billion within three years.
EXCLUSIVE: The animal abuse investigation into Territory Coordinator Stuart Knowles was suddenly terminated by current Mining and Energy CEO Alister Trier while he was CEO of Primary Industries, the NT Independent can reveal, raising concerns about the perceived favour and the potential for coercion of the most powerful public servant in the Northern Territory.
ANALYSIS: While some argue a federal election result should not be used to criticise the Territory Chief Minister, the Country Liberal Party itself made it a referendum on Lia in Solomon and the results were damning, raising serious concerns for the party and its elected members’ political futures.
Territory Coordinator Stuart Knowles’s history of cruelty to animals is of no concern to the Chief Minister or some of the biggest private companies that deal with the NT Government, with Lia Finocchiaro ruling out any action being taken against Mr Knowles over revelations his dogs were seized by animal welfare officers after suffering severe tick infestations and other health issues, while concerns over his suitability for the role have been raised.
EXCLUSIVE: Animal welfare officers seized four dogs registered to Territory Coordinator Stuart Knowles from his rural Darwin property in late 2015 after they were discovered suffering from severe tick infestations and other health problems, a government animal abuse investigation report obtained by the NT Independent shows.
EDITORIAL: The CLP Government’s decision to ignore serious instances of improper conduct at the taxpayer-funded Darwin Waterfront Corporation when faced with documented evidence has sent a message to the entire NT Public Service: Go ahead and do your worst, this CLP Government will cover it up. It also shows why our latest government-in-crisis cannot perform its basic function of keeping the public safe and maintaining the public’s trust in its institutions.
Tourism Minister and Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby has rejected calls for a public inquiry into the possible misuse of public resources at the Darwin Waterfront Corporation involving the Chief Minister’s husband and other senior public servants, stating she “is the Minister” and has received a secret internal “briefing” that exonerated everyone of any wrongdoing. However, the briefing was completed before revelations the Chief Minister’s husband benefitted from questionable hiring practices.
The Labor Opposition has acknowledged some of the potential misconduct exposed by an NT Independent investigation into the Darwin Waterfront Corporation occurred while Labor was in government, but has joined growing calls for an independent inquiry to get to the bottom of the potential malfeasance and misuse of public resources at the taxpayer-funded corporation.
Chief Minister Lia Finnochiaro fled a press conference Thursday morning, refusing to comment or answer questions about her husband’s involvement in the growing Darwin Waterfront Corporation scandal, that saw him collect more than $400,000 in “higher duties allowance” on top of his large salary for unadvertised jobs that were created by his mates, as well as a massive $300,000 contract that did not appear to go through proper recruitment processes.
EXCLUSIVE: Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro’s husband Sam Burke was given a made-up, part-time government job while general manager of the Darwin Waterfront Corporation, internal government documents show, that boosted his already substantial salary by $60,000 a year through a ‘higher duties allowance’ that continued for years after he left the department role, the NT Independent can reveal.
EDITORIAL: Recent revelations of alleged misconduct and misuse of public resources at the Darwin Waterfront Corporation has implicated those who held positions at the highest levels of the NT Public Service and government, but the CLP has repeatedly refused to order an independent investigation for their own reasons.
